EMBARGO TO REMAIN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26637, 6 December 1947, Page 4

EMBARGO TO REMAIN

AUSTRALIAN STUD CATTLE RISK OF SERIOUS DISEASE P.A. WELLINGTON, Dec. 5. _ from the Graziers Federal Council of Australia, seeking the removal of the embargo on bringing Australian stud cattle into New Zealand, resulted in a reply from the Department of Agriculture that, because of the prevalence in the Commonwealth of stock diseases unknown in New Zealand, it was, impossible to lift the ban. “ With the lifting of the embargo on the direct importation of cattle from Britain, it was felt that stud beef cattle, as well as dairy cattle, could be much more safely imported from Britain than from Australia as far as the risk of introducing serious cattle disease was concerned,” stated the le«bly> The Australian graziers, at a general conference, adopted a resolution seeking an investigation of the New Zealand embargo ” with a view to getting pressure brought by the Commonwealth Government for the lifting o, the ban.” Asking Federated Farmers for their assistance, the Australian graziers said it seemed that the New Zealand Government had for many years imposed the ban because of the existence in Australia of contagious pleuro-pneumonia and tick fever. They understood that New Zealand breeders would be glad to obtain high-class stud beef cattle from Australia. As far as was known, pleuro-pneumonia had not been found in the stud beef herds of New South Wales and the southern States, and any outbreaks were traceable from the Northern Territory and from Queensland. The Department of Agriculture, replying, said that pleuro-pneumonia was accepted as being endemic in Queensland and there were periodical outbreaks in New South Wales and Victoria. If introduced to a new country it would be a very serious menace; and a test could not be accepted as providing absolute protection. The Australian pastoralists were continually fighting the spread of cattle tick from Queensland to the southern States. Other reports showed that anthrax and some other serious stock diseases were more prevalent in Australia than New Zealand.